The Alabama Board of Education Had Best Clean Up Its Act

[Thumpalumpacus]

Removing these students will not help.
More funding will not help the scores come up either.

The only thing that can do that is more parent interaction and involvement.

You're wrong on that. It's been shown over and over again that better funding, mixing streams and classes improves educational outcomes for all.  Like  with healthcare the US has managed to build a system with the worst of both worlds, high costs, low outcomes.

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

[Jackalope]

You're wrong on that. It's been shown over and over again that better funding, mixing streams and classes improves educational outcomes for all.  Like  with healthcare the US has managed to build a system with the worst of both worlds, high costs, low outcomes.

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Where that funding is applied is a huge factor as well. For example, spending it on administration doesn't seem likely to have a positive effect on educational outcome.

[Joods]

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Where that funding is applied is a huge factor as well.  For example, spending it on administration doesn't seem likely to have a positive effect on educational outcome.

Truth. Example: The district we are in gets $25,000 a year for every special needs student in the district. That money is supposed to go towards things the student needs. It could be anything. An aid, personal care assistant, assistive technology devices - literally anything. So being aware of this and of IDEA, when I had my first IEP meeting with this district 16 years ago, I told them that I knew the money was there and that I would make sure they spent it on my kid, as they were supposed to. 

I attended school board meetings, got other parents of special needs kids involved so they would also know that there was money earmarked specifically for their kids. 

Sometimes being the squeaky wheel works. Other times it doesn't. But in our case, it did, because this district actually gives a damn about all of its students. Not just the ones who excel academically.

[Thumpalumpacus]

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Where that funding is applied is a huge factor as well.  For example, spending it on administration doesn't seem likely to have a positive effect on educational outcome.

Indeed. I just wanted to add my own point about parenting into the mix as well.

[Seraphina]

You're wrong on that. It's been shown over and over again that better funding, mixing streams and classes improves educational outcomes for all.  Like  with healthcare the US has managed to build a system with the worst of both worlds, high costs, low outcomes.

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Yeah, parents definitely should be involved as much as they are able to be. What about parents who have to work long hours or two jobs to support their households or are absent altogether? Those kids should still have access to a quality education.  I'm a role model in many ways (or I try to be one lol) but my daughter's teachers have her for 35 hours a week. They see her more than I do Monday-Friday. They are trained professionals who've gone to school to learn how to best impart information. I'm good in my own job but teaching is not in my wheelhouse. In my opinion, the biggest factors impacting whether or not a student gets a good education are the quality of teachers and the quality of teacher education.

-Teresa

[Thumpalumpacus]

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Yeah, parents definitely should be involved as much as they are able to be. What about parents who have to work long hours or two jobs to support their households or are absent altogether? Those kids should still have access to a quality education.  I'm a role model in many ways (or I try to be one lol) but my daughter's teachers have her for 35 hours a week. They see her more than I do Monday-Friday. They are trained professionals who've gone to school to learn how to best impart information. I'm good in my own job but teaching is not in my wheelhouse. In my opinion, the biggest factors impacting whether or not a student gets a good education are the quality of teachers and the quality of teacher education.

-Teresa

I wasn't casting judgement in offering my opinion, nor was I arguing for reduced funding. I worked my ass off as a single father to both provide for my son, and provide him with a broad range of experiences to feed his curiosity, but I understand that my situation was my own and not that of others.

It doesn't change the fact that parents are the most important teachers a child has. Children look to parents first, and trust them the most.

[Ravenshire]

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

Where that funding is applied is a huge factor as well.  For example, spending it on administration doesn't seem likely to have a positive effect on educational outcome.

This is sooooo true. It's not advancing education at all when the district superintendent's second secretary makes twice as much as the average teacher. The Feds need to put some restrictions on how much of the money can go to administration and require certain percentages to go to teaching staff and textbooks/supplies/etc... High school sports needs to be at the lowest percentage of that funding. I may be wrong, but I don't think there currently are any.

Let the district admin staff run a bakesale for their perks instead of the schools running fundraisers to insure there's enough chalk and dry-erase markers!

[The Grand Nudger]

They don't run fundraisers for that stuff.  They require that parents send that in with their kids now.  Double dipping from the cookie jar, lol.  Parents, nuts in a vice and not wanting their kids to go to schools without dry erase markers and be disciplined for "failing to provide the required materials", pony up.

Then theres the teachers other list, of other shit..like kleenex and clorox wipes and ziploc bags and snacks and folders and pencils and pens and chalk and glue, etc.  Parents, again.

-Then-....they have the fundraisers, and the mlm ponzi intros for children, and the 10x markup bric a brac sales.....and 50cent "smencils".......and the Kona Ice in the cafeteria....and.......tickets to the "hayride" at the "fall festival"....and....

[Ravenshire]

They don't run fundraisers for that stuff.  They require that parents send that in with their kids now.  Double dipping from the cookie jar, lol.  Parents, nuts in a vice and not wanting their kids to go to schools without dry erase markers and be disciplined for "failing to provide the required materials", pony up.

Then theres the teachers other list, of other shit..like kleenex and clorox wipes and ziploc bags and snacks and folders and pencils and pens and chalk and glue, etc.  Parents, again.

-Then-....they have the fundraisers, and the mlm ponzi intros for children, and the 10x markup bric a brac sales.....and 50cent "smencils".......and the Kona Ice in the cafeteria....and.......tickets to the "hayride" at the "fall festival"....and....

I simplified for the sake of brevity. With one just done a couple years ago and one still in the system, I'm quite well aware of how it works. I would call it a scam, but it's more a scramble for the basics. Worst part is, it never covers the shit they really need, like science textbooks less than 10 years old or history books that contain recent history. How the fuck can we call any of the HS classes AP, when they're at least 10 years behind the rest of the developed world?

[Minimalist]

You're wrong on that. It's been shown over and over again that better funding, mixing streams and classes improves educational outcomes for all.  Like  with healthcare the US has managed to build a system with the worst of both worlds, high costs, low outcomes.

While it's true that funding and pedagogical approaches can and do factor into student performance, I think that the two most important educators in a child's life are his or her parents.

So, what you're saying is that kids in the south are FUCKED.